Children's home run by Warrington Borough Council

Inspection report for children’s home: SC037302 1 SC037302 Registered provider: Warrington Borough Council

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This local authority children’s home is registered to care for up to three children who may have social and/or emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

Three children were living at the home at the time of this inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in October 2023.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC037302 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

07/08/2024 Full Good 12/09/2023 Full Good 08/06/2022 Full Good 08/03/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: SC037302 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children live in a warm and comfortable home which has a large living area and a recently renovated kitchen and garden. Children’s bedrooms are personalised and decorated to their individual tastes. Two of the three children living at the home were spoken to during the inspection. One child was unwell so did not speak with the inspector. The children say that they like living at the home and spoke of having strong relationships with the staff and managers.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, two children have moved into the home and two children have moved out. These were planned moves and staff supported the children leaving during their transition to their new homes. Children moving into the home benefit from working closely with their key workers before their arrival. Staff complete shifts at children’s previous homes to build relationships and support visits to the new home ahead of their move. This approach supports children during times of change.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have trusting relationships with staff who offer them emotional warmth. This helps children to feel safe and secure. Staff recognise the value of children’s family ties and work hard to maintain children’s relationships with families and those close to them. Parents speak positively with regard to the creative approach the home has adopted to support family time.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are encouraged to make friends. If they do not have local friendship groups, staff work hard to create chances for them to meet peers in the community. This includes helping one child attend lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBTQ) groups. Children’s diverse needs are recognised and embraced. For example, one child received help to make costumes for comic convention events.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have access to personal computers and consoles. These are closely monitored by staff who ensure children’s safety through the co-production of device agreements.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children’s educational needs. Children have clear education plans in place to meet their needs. The manager collaborates with partner agencies to ensure that children receive the right educational support. This includes access to tutors and training tailored to their individual interests. When children are not accessing education, staff work with them, education providers and careers services to overcome the barriers they face. One child has been able to complete training alongside staff at the home due to their interest in becoming a carer in the future.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have nutritious diets which include foods from different cultures. They are encouraged to develop their independent cooking skills alongside staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s health needs are recognised and they are encouraged to attend health appointments. If appointments are missed, these are quickly rescheduled. Inspection report for children’s home: SC037302 4 Children’s emotional needs are prioritised. Children feel able to share their feelings in the knowledge that staff will respond sensitively to their concerns. If children require specialist support, referrals are completed swiftly to ensure that their needs are met.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Children are safeguarded effectively. Risk assessments are individualised and provide an accurate reflection of the risks for each child. Assessments are reviewed following incidents to analyse what has occurred and why. Staff have a thorough understanding of the policies used by the home to protect children and act appropriately when children are at risk.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

When children go missing from home, staff respond effectively. The staff understand each child’s missing-from-home protocol and seek to support their safe return home. Staff know the areas where children spend time and work closely with partner agencies and families to locate children who are missing. When children return home, they are able to speak about their experiences with the manager and an independent person. As a result, staff have devised support that helps children remain at home.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Positive behaviour is re-enforced and a restorative approach is taken to repair harm following incidents. Children contribute to debriefs to help staff understand their needs. These are used to support the development of personalised de-escalation strategies. As a result, children have not needed to be held.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Children benefit from personalised care plans which are co-produced. These plans guide direct work linked to safe relationships, emotional wellbeing, substance misuse and equality and diversity. Children are also able to track their own achievements through personalised monthly reports where their goals are reviewed and successes are celebrated.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The leadership team has a thorough understanding of the children who live in the home. Its members are appropriately qualified and experienced and lead by example.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff speak highly of the support provided by managers and report feeling valued. Staff are required to complete the provider’s mandatory training when they begin working at the home. This is supplemented by additional training that focuses on the individual needs of children. The registered manager is currently working to simplify tracking systems to help maintain consistency and ensure that all information is included in the workforce development plan.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff rotas are balanced in terms of experience and gender. There is a stable, committed workforce and there is a small, dependable sessional staff team. This supports consistency of care. Inspection report for children’s home: SC037302 5 Staff receive regular, reflective supervision which supports their development. Staff also receive annual appraisals that support their professional development. However, feedback from children and external professionals is not sought within the appraisal process.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The views of external professionals is largely positive. One independent reviewing officer said, ‘Communication is fantastic, I cannot fault them.’ However, one child’s social worker felt that communication could be developed to ensure that contact planning is more collaborative.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Safer recruitment procedures are in place, but gaps in employment history have not been explored for all new staff. The manager recognises that the process and oversight of staff recruitment need to be strengthened. Inspection report for children’s home: SC037302 6

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person(s) must take to meet the Care Standards Act 2000, The Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’. The registered person(s) must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

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Requirement Due date

the individual is of integrity and good character;

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Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 32 (1) (3)(a)(d)) 5 March 2026

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Recommendations

 The registered person should work in close partnership with all those who play a role in protecting the child, particularly the child’s social worker. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 10, paragraph 2.3)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that all staff have their performance and fitness to carry out their role formally appraised at least once annually. This appraisal should take into account, where reasonable and practical, the views of other professionals who have worked with the staff member over the year and children in the home’s care. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.5)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should have a workforce plan which can fulfil the workforce- related requirements of regulation 16, schedule 1 (paragraphs 19 and 20). The plan should be updated to include any new training and qualifications completed by staff while working at the home, and used to record the ongoing training and continuing professional development needs of staff, including the home’s manager. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 53, paragraph 10.8) Inspection report for children’s home: SC037302 7

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people, using the social care common inspection framework. This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service, how it meets the core functions of the service as set out in legislation, and to consider how well it complies with The Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’. Inspection report for children’s home: SC037302 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Warrington Borough Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 1 Time Square, Warrington WA1 2NT

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Inspector

Jon Dutton, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC037302 9 achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children’s social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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